Core (architecture)

{{Short description|Architectural term}}

File:Building core arrangement.png

In architecture, a core is a vertical space used for circulation and services. It may also be referred to as a circulation core or service core. A core may include staircases, elevators, electrical cables, water pipes and risers.

A core allows people to move between the floors of a building, and distributes services efficiently to the floors. A core may also serve a key structural role in a building, helping support it and acting as a load-bearing structure with load-bearing walls.https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/967-ping-an-finance-center-pioneering-chinas-tallest-efficiencies-of-form-and-structures.pdfhttps://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/12-case-study-shanghai-tower.pdf Cores in office buildings tend to be larger than those in apartment buildings because office buildings need to handle more traffic with an increased number of elevator shafts.{{cite web | url=https://skyscraper.org/supertall/defining-supertall/ | title=Defining Supertall | the Skyscraper Museum }} It is generally desirable for a core to be as small as possible to maximize floorspace within the building.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=78dgEAAAQBAJ&dq=skyscraper+core+as+small+as+possible&pg=PA14 | isbn=978-1-4358-6379-8 | title=Skyscrapers | date=15 December 2001 | publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group }} The core of a building is often placed in the center of a building, but it can also be placed on a side of a building, and there can be several cores in a building. Cores on a side of a building are known as perimeter cores, are completely inside the building and can allow for more uninterrupted, column-free floor space within a building. Offset cores are similar to perimeter cores but sit partially or completely outside a building. Cores split into several smaller cores are called mixed cores. A large portion (over 40&) of offset core buildings were built after 2010. An offset core can also be used to provide shade from the sun.https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/4186-offset-cores-trends-drivers-and-frequency-in-tall-buildings.pdfhttps://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/4185-tall-buildings-in-numbers-worlds-tallest-offset-core-buildings.pdf